The Arrangement (24 page)

‘You
have an amazing home. I am jealous.’

‘Ha,’
Brandon laughed. ‘It is nice, but it does tend to get a bit
lonely.’ He shrugged his muscular shoulders. For some reasons
she even found this tiny little gesture impressive when done by this
man. ‘I think the problem is that the ground floor is so open
that I find myself rattling around on my own in here.’

‘That
must be hard.’ She headed into what would be classed as the
kitchen.

He
placed a cold drink down on the kitchen island for her.

Brandon
sat down on one side. Scarlett sat down on the other.

‘Would
you like something to eat?’ he asked.

‘Um…’
she hadn’t decided how long she was staying for.

‘It
wouldn’t be any trouble.’

‘I
think I might like that.’ She placed her elbows on the counter
and cupped her jaw within the palm of her hands. ‘What do you
fancy having?’

Brandon’s
eyes momentarily betrayed him.

Scarlett’s
sitting position had accidentally squeezed her firm breasts together,
which made them look much bigger than they actually were. She
followed his line of sight and blushed. ‘I think that answers
that question,’ she giggled. She hadn’t meant to do a
sexy pose for him. She had done lots of sexy poses for Lucas, but
they never seemed to do the trick on him and yet here she was with a
gorgeous man practically drooling over her breasts.

Scarlett
didn’t change her sitting position.

She
liked the way he looked at her.

‘I-I
am happy to make you anything you like.’ He got up from his
chair and headed over to the tall silver freezer. ‘What do you
want?’

Deliberately,
she glanced down at his groin and smiled.

Something
dangerous sparkled behind Brandon’s eyes.

He
liked where this was going.

‘Let
me rephrase that. What would you like to eat?’

Scarlett
glanced back down and his groin and smiled even wider.

***

An
hour or so drifted by. The mountain of boxes had slowly declined into
a small hill. Emma came out of the bedroom and bent down to pick up
one of the boxes. Lucas’s eyes instantly clocked onto her ass.
‘Wait a second,’ he blurted out.

‘What’s
wrong?’ she glanced back over her shoulder.

‘Nothing...’
He smiled a devious smile. ‘I just wanted you to hold that
position a little longer.’

Emma
bit her bottom lip. ‘I think you had me enough in this position
at the hotel.’

‘Oh,
believe me, I remember.’ They both laughed. ‘I don’t
think I could ever have enough of you in that position.’

With
a smile as wide as the Grand Canyon she picked up the box and headed
back into the bedroom. The demon of lust that lurked within the
depths of his unconscious mind screamed for him to follow her in
there and continue on from where they left it in the hotel.

Would
she let him?

He
gave his head a quick shake.

He
was with Scarlett, but then again if he really loved her, why was he
here?

Lucas
had no answer to his own question.

‘Will
you come back to work?’ he asked her, as she entered the room.

‘I
don’t know.’ She shrugged. ‘I want to.’

‘Then
what is the problem?’

‘The
problem is that I like you too much.’

‘Do
you think I would be here if I didn’t like you?’ he
asked.

‘I
know, but you’re engaged to be married.’

‘That
is a long way off…’

‘A
couple of months,’ she interjected.

‘Okay.
It is a couple of months away, but things can change. I know for a
fact that people can change. I am changing and I wouldn’t and
couldn’t marry someone I wasn’t in love with, especially
if I had stronger feelings for another woman.’

He
had never seen Emma look so happy.

‘Do
you mean that?’

‘I
do. I know the situation is complicated, but I just need time to
think. I know that I don’t regret what we did, I don’t
regret being here with you, and I don’t regret the feelings I
have for you.’

Emma
headed into the kitchen.

‘Do
you fancy a glass of wine?’ she said.

‘Are
you trying to get me drunk?’

‘It
worked last time.’

‘I
have a feeling it will work this time, too.’ He smiled.

***

It
was like something out of a dream. Scarlett was having a home cooked
candle light meal out of the deck. The sun had fallen and the night
sky had taken its place. Thousands upon thousands of twinkling stars
sat high above her in the cloudless sky. In the distance she could
still hear the breaking of the waves. It was like listening to the
oceans heartbeat. And to top it all off she was sitting with a
gorgeous half naked man. Usually, by this point they would have both
gotten changed into their clothes, but neither of them wanted to be
the first to do it. If Brandon got dressed then she would too and he
wouldn’t get to see her body, but if she did it then he would
hide away those tempting abs.

Brandon
had thrown together some kind of fish pasta dish. Scarlett wasn’t
exactly sure what he put in it because she was too busy admiring his
body, as he cooked, but it was mind meltingly tasty. The two of them
exchanged smiles as they ate and shared a small glass of wine.
Scarlett couldn’t drink too much because she was driving back
home in a little while. The conversations flowed back and forth about
their lives. Brandon told tales of his family and the place in which
he grew up and Scarlett told her stories, but she much preferred
listening to Brandon speak. Things were going really well until a
question appeared out of the blue.

‘Why
are you here?’ he asked in a casual manner.

Scarlett
looked slightly confused by the question.

‘Don’t
get me wrong.’ Brandon chuckled to himself. ‘I am not
complaining in the slightest. I am sitting here with the sexist woman
I have ever seen and I have had such an amazing day with you, but
then again every day that I see you is amazing.’

Scarlett
knew it was a line, but it still worked.

She
smiled like an excited teenager and blushed.

‘I
just don’t understand why you are here.’

‘I
don’t really know either,’ she admitted. Scarlett placed
down her cutlery and looked across the table into his deep brown
eyes. ‘I am engaged to be married and I have been in a happy
relationship for many years now. I have never cheated on Lucas, or
even thought about cheating on him, but I can’t get that kiss
out of my mind.’

Brandon
smiled, but said nothing.

It
was a clear sign he wanted her to continue.

‘The
passion in my relationship has gone. Lucas has been acting funny for
a while now and I don’t know if I can forgive him for his
reasons. In many ways I think it would have been better if he had
been having an affair. I might have been able to understand it
better. I am just a passionate woman. I need passion in my life and I
have not been getting that for a while, but then you came along. Not
only are you nice to look at, but you are so nice to listen and talk
too. I am happy when I am around you. I like the way you make me
feel.’

She
hesitated for a moment.

‘And
that kiss was the most passionate I have had in a long time.’

Brandon
reached out and placed his hand upon the back of hers. He looked deep
into her eyes and smiled that heart warming smile. ‘I like
you,’ he told her. ‘I like you a lot. You are the first
woman I have looked at since my divorce. You are funny, cute,
interesting, intelligent, and you have the sweetest smile and the
loveliest laugh, but not only that you are a gifted writer and drop
dead beautiful.’

Scarlett
could feel him rubbing his thumb gently against her hand.

How
did such a small thing make her heart beat so hard?

‘I
guess what I am trying to understand is if we are just friends, or if
this could be something more?’

Scarlett
interlinked her fingers with his.

‘I
think we are more than just friends...’

***

Laughter
filled the living room. The mountain of boxes had finally been
conquered and the celebrations had begun. Emma’s hand swayed
slightly, as she attempted to pour more wine into Lucas’s
glass. Two empty bottles of wine already sat on the living room
table.

‘You
are drunk,’ laughed Lucas.

‘So
are you.’ She poked him in the chest with her index finger.

‘It
takes more than...’ he tried to count the amount of glasses
they had to drink. ‘It takes more than several very large
glasses of wine to make me tipsy.’

‘Then
you need to keep drinking then.’

‘You
don’t need me drunk to do what you have in mind.’

‘No?’
she placed the half bottle of wine on the table.

‘Nope,’
he confirmed. ‘I am unable to resist the way you make me feel.’

‘Is
that so?’ Emma downed her glass of wine and dropped it a little
clumsily onto the coffee table. ‘Down it,’ she told him.
Lucas didn’t even hesitate. He tilted his head back and downed
the entire glass of wine. He could feel the strange light headed
sensation infiltrating his mind before she had managed to place his
glass on the table. ‘So you can’t resist me, eh? Does
that mean you won’t stop me from doing this?’

She
straddled his lap on the couch.

Lucas
sat back and smiled. ‘I am not going to stop you, go on.’

‘What
about this?’ she stroked her hands across the top of his shirt
and over his pectoral muscles. ‘Such a strong body,’ she
giggled excitedly. ‘How is it you are able to resist your wife
and not me?’

Lucas
shrugged his shoulders.

‘I
ask myself that question all the time.’

‘What
answer do you find?’

‘I
find that I am crazy about you.’

Emma
began to unbutton his shirt. ‘I am crazy about you, too.’

‘Oh?’
A sly smile crept up Lucas’s face. ‘So, you can’t
resist me?’

‘I
think our night of wild passionate love making in the hotel room is a
very clear sign that I cannot resist you. I want you more than you
know.’

‘So,
you wouldn’t stop me if I did this?’

He
cupped her large firm breasts within the palm of his hands. Emma
moaned softly, as he carefully lifted and gently squeezed them. ‘I
wouldn’t stop you from doing anything to me.’ The sweet
innocent smile that she usually wore upon her face had now left the
building. Emma now wore a mask of lust. The atmosphere in the room
had turned and there was no going back.

‘I
can do anything?’ he knocked away her shoulder straps.

‘You
can do anything,’ she repeated.

Lucas
pulled down the front of her dress. It didn’t take much for her
large breasts to spill out. His eyes sparkled like fireworks in the
midnight sky at the realisation she wasn’t wearing a bra. It
was at this point that consciousness and awareness for the outside
world disappeared. The only thing Lucas was aware of was this
gorgeous half naked woman in front of him.

He
took the peak of her breast within his mouth.

‘Yes,
Lucas.’ She stroked her fingers through his hair and pushed her
chest forward. The feel of his lips upon her body was causing
explosions of pleasure and delight to ignite throughout her soul. He
pulled her in even closer and ran his tongue along the peak of her
breast. Emma gasped at the sudden increase of pleasing sensations. It
was the start of a long night of passion.

***

‘I
had a really nice time.’ Scarlett shuffled nervously on the
doorstep.

‘I
did, too. Can we do it again?’ asked Brandon.

‘I
would really like that.’

‘Just
call me when you want to do something.’

‘Okay.’
Scarlett smiled.

A
silence fell between them. It wasn’t an awkward and
uncomfortable silence, but the type of silence where they both wanted
to say something and neither one wanted to go first, in case they
upset the other. Scarlett glanced between her parked car and Brandon.

‘I
should go.’

‘Um,
yeah,’ he replied.

It
was clear she didn’t want to go and he didn’t want her to
go.

‘Oh,
screw it.’ Scarlett stepped forward and pressed her lips
against his. It was a quick gentle kiss that was over with in a split
second. ‘I couldn’t just leave without kissing you.’

‘Does
that mean I get to kiss you, too?’

He
carefully cupped her face in his large powerful hands.

‘That
only seems fair.’

He
leaned down to meet her and pressed his lips up against hers. The
kiss had more force that Scarlett’s and caused a wave of
tingles to rush down her spine. Within seconds her mouth was open and
his tongue slipped inside. Scarlett moaned softly through her nose;
as their tongues danced a private dance within the others mouth. It
was a deep passionate kiss that carried the full weight of his
emotions.

Brandon
pulled back and smiled.

Scarlett
unconsciously bit her bottom lip.

That
had been one good kiss.

‘Do
you want to come back in?’ he asked cheekily.

‘I,
um...’ she looked pretty flustered. ‘I should go.’

‘But
will you?’

‘You
are a naughty man,’ she laughed.

‘I
can be.’

Did
he know that he was making her melt inside?

Never
in her life had she felt so tempted to make love to a man.

‘I
will call you tomorrow,’ she forced herself to say.

‘I
will look forward to it.’

Scarlett
took one last look at his ripped body and headed for her car.

***

Lucas
pressed his lips against the back of Emma’s neck. He could feel
her leaning her body back against his mouth. She continued to roll
her hips, as she sat upon his lap, but facing away from him. The way
her naked back seemed to roll like some kind of exotic dancer was
almost hypnotising. It was like she had no bones within her body. He
could feel the warmth from inside her, as they made love. His hands
reached around and gently squeezed her round plump breasts.